What Alice Forgot
by Liane Moriarty
On This Page
Description
Suffering an accident that causes her to forget the last ten years of her life, Alice is astonished to discover that she is thirty-nine years old, a mother of three children, and in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from a man she dearly loves.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
BookshelfMonstrosity Told with humor, these two charming, character-driven novels share the stories of women who awaken from comas with amnesia, which has caused them to forget years of their lives. Faced with the unfamiliar, they must evaluate the choices they've made.
Member Reviews
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty is an engaging and thought-provoking novel about a mother who suddenly loses ten years of her life after a fall. Waking up convinced she’s still in her twenties, Alice must piece together what happened to her marriage, her friendships, and the person she has become. The story is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing, blending wit and emotion in a way that feels both entertaining and meaningful. Moriarty’s sharp observations about relationships and identity make this a compelling and memorable read.
This was a really interesting tale of Alice, a nearly-forty-year-old married woman who wakes up from a fall one day one day in the gym to discover ten years of her life have passed without her remembering. Her last memory is of being 29, newly married and expecting her first child. What a shock to discover she’s now 39, a mother of three, and getting divorced!
The real meat of this story is unravelling how Alice has gotten to this point, along with the mystery surrounding all the friends and family she’s grown closer to and pulled away from over the years. Alice’s sister Elizabeth has perhaps the most compelling and heartbreaking tale of the book, and Gina and Mike, friends of Alice’s, are also interesting characters. Author show more Liane Moriarity keeps the twists and turns coming as Alice slowly remembers bits and pieces of her life. Will she make up with Nick, her husband and father of her three children, or continue on with Dominic, the man she’d started an affair with? What really happened to Gina? How did their marriage fall apart? Many twists and turns.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less
The real meat of this story is unravelling how Alice has gotten to this point, along with the mystery surrounding all the friends and family she’s grown closer to and pulled away from over the years. Alice’s sister Elizabeth has perhaps the most compelling and heartbreaking tale of the book, and Gina and Mike, friends of Alice’s, are also interesting characters. Author show more Liane Moriarity keeps the twists and turns coming as Alice slowly remembers bits and pieces of her life. Will she make up with Nick, her husband and father of her three children, or continue on with Dominic, the man she’d started an affair with? What really happened to Gina? How did their marriage fall apart? Many twists and turns.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less
What Alice Forgot is a book about an Australian middle-aged woman who bonks her head and loses all of her memory from the past ten years. It’s also about her sister, struggling with infertility, and her grandma who can’t let go of the past.
The characters were all very relatable. It did take me awhile to warm up to Alice – she seemed so flippant and “gauzy” in the beginning of the book, but now I know that was intentional and added to the ambiance of the book. I felt immediately protective of her sister, considering I’ve been through a similar journey. The rest of the characters we all well developed and I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends when the book ended.
I have previously read one other book by Liane Moriarty; show more the Hypnotist’s Love Story, and I have one other book of hers on my to-read list; Big Little Lies. I can’t say I cared much for the Hypnotist, but I genuinely enjoyed What Alice Forgot and had trouble putting it down. And days after it’s ended, I am still finding myself reflecting on it.
As I mentioned, I went through a similar journey as the sister in this book. I had miscarriage after miscarriage and was in a dark place toward the end. We ended up adopting – so there is a happy ending there, but there were so many similarities between her story and mine, it felt very authentic. Maybe even more so than the main character’s reaction to what was happening to her. (I simply would not be left alone for an overnight stay in an unfamiliar place with three children I didn’t know before I had had children of my own.)
There were parts of this book that made me cry because it brought back the raw feelings of my own fertility struggles. Other parts had me giggling ‘till my husband looked at me sideways. I enjoyed the setting and the scenes were very easy to imagine as I was working my through the story. It was an comfortable read and I am looking forward to reading some more of Liane’s work.
If you’re looking for a mostly fun story with a bit of real-life tossed in or you’re struggling in a relationship, this might be a book you’d enjoy. In a nutshell, I think this book is about looking at the whole picture and not getting bogged down in the everyday of life. Reflection, in a word – of what was and where you are now.
More of my book review at http://44thoughts.cottonwoodwhispers.com show less
The characters were all very relatable. It did take me awhile to warm up to Alice – she seemed so flippant and “gauzy” in the beginning of the book, but now I know that was intentional and added to the ambiance of the book. I felt immediately protective of her sister, considering I’ve been through a similar journey. The rest of the characters we all well developed and I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends when the book ended.
I have previously read one other book by Liane Moriarty; show more the Hypnotist’s Love Story, and I have one other book of hers on my to-read list; Big Little Lies. I can’t say I cared much for the Hypnotist, but I genuinely enjoyed What Alice Forgot and had trouble putting it down. And days after it’s ended, I am still finding myself reflecting on it.
As I mentioned, I went through a similar journey as the sister in this book. I had miscarriage after miscarriage and was in a dark place toward the end. We ended up adopting – so there is a happy ending there, but there were so many similarities between her story and mine, it felt very authentic. Maybe even more so than the main character’s reaction to what was happening to her. (I simply would not be left alone for an overnight stay in an unfamiliar place with three children I didn’t know before I had had children of my own.)
There were parts of this book that made me cry because it brought back the raw feelings of my own fertility struggles. Other parts had me giggling ‘till my husband looked at me sideways. I enjoyed the setting and the scenes were very easy to imagine as I was working my through the story. It was an comfortable read and I am looking forward to reading some more of Liane’s work.
If you’re looking for a mostly fun story with a bit of real-life tossed in or you’re struggling in a relationship, this might be a book you’d enjoy. In a nutshell, I think this book is about looking at the whole picture and not getting bogged down in the everyday of life. Reflection, in a word – of what was and where you are now.
More of my book review at http://44thoughts.cottonwoodwhispers.com show less
I love Moriarty's work and this one was no exception. The premise is that a woman takes a fall at a gym and when she wakes up she's lost her memory of the last ten years. Her last memory is of being pregnant with her first child while renovating an old home with her sweet husband Nick. When she wakes up her baby is 10-years-old and she and her husband are in the midst of a nasty divorce.
I read it while pregnant, which definitely colored my view of the novel. I couldn't imagine waking up one day and realizing that my tiny baby who wasn't even born yet in my memory was now a young woman. There was a terrifying element to the book because of that. Alice feels so helpless because she doesn't know how she became the woman that everyone else show more knows her to be.
Alice's sister Elizabeth is a fascinating character throughout the book. She and her husband have struggled with infertility. She has thrown herself into her work, but she aches with the absence of a child. I also loved the relationship between Alice and her three children.
BOTTOM LINE: Loved it. It hit me a bit deeper than it might have at another time in life. show less
I read it while pregnant, which definitely colored my view of the novel. I couldn't imagine waking up one day and realizing that my tiny baby who wasn't even born yet in my memory was now a young woman. There was a terrifying element to the book because of that. Alice feels so helpless because she doesn't know how she became the woman that everyone else show more knows her to be.
Alice's sister Elizabeth is a fascinating character throughout the book. She and her husband have struggled with infertility. She has thrown herself into her work, but she aches with the absence of a child. I also loved the relationship between Alice and her three children.
BOTTOM LINE: Loved it. It hit me a bit deeper than it might have at another time in life. show less
Real feel: 4.5
I have a confession to make: the beginning was a little wobbly and I was a bit disappointed that this book might not be what I expected but she made an overwhelming story in the end.
It turned out so good, that I think this might be my favorite book that I've read in 2019 so far.
It was a touching and emotional ride through the past 10 years of Alice Love's life, explaining how communication is crucial. Especially if we want to maintain healthy relationships with our loved ones (kids, husbands, boyfriends, family...), putting things under the rug might not be the smartest thing that a woman (or a man) could do.
It's funny how Moriarty can pull out an excellent story from totally ordinary, everyday situations in life. I show more love her writing, once I hit 100 pages, I felt compelled I can tell you for sure. As usual, she's so honest, playing with that specific humor blended with sarcasm here and there.
A must-read for every woman! show less
I have a confession to make: the beginning was a little wobbly and I was a bit disappointed that this book might not be what I expected but she made an overwhelming story in the end.
It turned out so good, that I think this might be my favorite book that I've read in 2019 so far.
It was a touching and emotional ride through the past 10 years of Alice Love's life, explaining how communication is crucial. Especially if we want to maintain healthy relationships with our loved ones (kids, husbands, boyfriends, family...), putting things under the rug might not be the smartest thing that a woman (or a man) could do.
It's funny how Moriarty can pull out an excellent story from totally ordinary, everyday situations in life. I show more love her writing, once I hit 100 pages, I felt compelled I can tell you for sure. As usual, she's so honest, playing with that specific humor blended with sarcasm here and there.
A must-read for every woman! show less
Moriarty is rehabilitated in my eyes! I just LOVED this book.
It was very unusual for me because it didn't have any suspenseful things in it. When I started reading I expected it to be quite a light and humorous read. But it appeared to be much deeper than I'd thought. And I loved the topics it discussed.
I liked that the author didn't take any side. One can't say that Alice is better than her husband or the other way round. And it worked for me because it's how life is in reality. No one is perfect, and both main heroes made a lot of mistakes. And I wanted them to get back together.
I also enjoyed reading about everything from Alice's sister and her so-called Granny. That helped to understand the characters more, not just based on their show more own opinions about themselves.
The ending didn't seem unreal to me either.I liked that Alice bid her time to decide what she really wants and made a thoughtful decision. I also liked that their life together isn't described as the ideal one.
The only thing that wasn't so logical for me is the situation with Jane Turner, Alice's lawyer. She was so afraid that Alice would sign some important papers that she told different people to tell Alice not to sign anything without her. But still, she hasn't appeared at all after Alice's incident.
This book made me look at myself and my marriage differently. It just gave so much more insight into everyday problems. And reminded me to care more about the people I love. There were moments when I thought: "That sounds exactly like me and my husband. And what will it lead us to?" And that's what made me love this book so much. I'd recommend it to every married person I know. show less
It was very unusual for me because it didn't have any suspenseful things in it. When I started reading I expected it to be quite a light and humorous read. But it appeared to be much deeper than I'd thought. And I loved the topics it discussed.
I liked that the author didn't take any side. One can't say that Alice is better than her husband or the other way round. And it worked for me because it's how life is in reality. No one is perfect, and both main heroes made a lot of mistakes. And I wanted them to get back together.
I also enjoyed reading about everything from Alice's sister and her so-called Granny. That helped to understand the characters more, not just based on their show more own opinions about themselves.
The ending didn't seem unreal to me either.
The only thing that wasn't so logical for me is the situation with Jane Turner, Alice's lawyer. She was so afraid that Alice would sign some important papers that she told different people to tell Alice not to sign anything without her. But still, she hasn't appeared at all after Alice's incident.
This book made me look at myself and my marriage differently. It just gave so much more insight into everyday problems. And reminded me to care more about the people I love. There were moments when I thought: "That sounds exactly like me and my husband. And what will it lead us to?" And that's what made me love this book so much. I'd recommend it to every married person I know. show less
“But maybe every life looked wonderful if all you saw was the photo albums.”
Absolutely fascinating - what if you feel down, hit your head and completely lost the last 10 years. Would the old you be surprised by your life now? Would they be proud of who you've become? Would they be sad that you're (fill in the blank - bitter, angry, unhealthy, lonely, etc)? Would you be shocked of who you'd become?
That's what's facing Alice. She falls off a bike at the gym and wakes up thinking she's 29 and pregnant - but she's really 39 and in the midst of an ugly divorce and has 3 kids. She's shocked. Who is she now? Each new moment is tied to another reality that Alice may not be living the life she though she would when she was 29.
I absolutely show more loved Alice. And I loved her family. I loved the mystery of Gina - and how long you end up waiting before you know anything. I love Nick and his struggles and their kids and how much they all love each other but are so bitter and guarded. I even loved the silly parents, the high maintenance siblings and the school moms (man, were they accurately drawn up!). It's all still very true today, even though it's no longer 2008. This made me laugh and get teary eyed, it made me root for the underdog and applaud with their success and go quiet with their failures. It was an adventure of a tale that I've come to expect from [a:Liane Moriarty|322069|Liane Moriarty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459827224p2/322069.jpg]. She did not disappoint. show less
Absolutely fascinating - what if you feel down, hit your head and completely lost the last 10 years. Would the old you be surprised by your life now? Would they be proud of who you've become? Would they be sad that you're (fill in the blank - bitter, angry, unhealthy, lonely, etc)? Would you be shocked of who you'd become?
That's what's facing Alice. She falls off a bike at the gym and wakes up thinking she's 29 and pregnant - but she's really 39 and in the midst of an ugly divorce and has 3 kids. She's shocked. Who is she now? Each new moment is tied to another reality that Alice may not be living the life she though she would when she was 29.
I absolutely show more loved Alice. And I loved her family. I loved the mystery of Gina - and how long you end up waiting before you know anything. I love Nick and his struggles and their kids and how much they all love each other but are so bitter and guarded. I even loved the silly parents, the high maintenance siblings and the school moms (man, were they accurately drawn up!). It's all still very true today, even though it's no longer 2008. This made me laugh and get teary eyed, it made me root for the underdog and applaud with their success and go quiet with their failures. It was an adventure of a tale that I've come to expect from [a:Liane Moriarty|322069|Liane Moriarty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459827224p2/322069.jpg]. She did not disappoint. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Published Reviews
Twenty-nine-year-old Alice Love is pregnant with her first child, adores her husband, Nick, and has never set foot inside a spinning studio. Thirty-nine-year-old Alice Love suffers a sudden fall in her Friday spin class, wakes up with a splitting headache, and finds out she has three children and is in the middle of custody proceedings. Without any concrete memories of the past 10 years, Alice show more tries to figure out how her free-spirited 29-year-old self became a volunteer-coordinating, spin-class-attending 39-year-old woman. What Alice Forgot is an often funny, sometimes heartrending, deeply personal portrait of a woman attempting to unravel her own mystery. show less
added by kthomp25
Lists
ALA The Reading List
490 works; 28 members
Top Five Books of 2013
1,562 works; 721 members
Best Books With Sisters
130 works; 30 members
Top Five Books of 2014
1,064 works; 398 members
Top Five Books of 2017
757 works; 231 members
Books Set in Australia.
45 works; 9 members
Books Read in 2016
4,666 works; 197 members
Fiction with Women's Names in the Title
378 works; 15 members
Books Read in 2015
3,299 works; 126 members
Books To Get From The Library
115 works; 5 members
Read in 2016
107 works; 6 members
BB: Books That Will Keep Your Attention Until The Very Last Page
20 works; 3 members
To Read
617 works; 7 members
Books Read in 2021
5,361 works; 114 members
Fiction: Crime, Detective, Mystery
350 works; 3 members
Elaina's
183 works; 1 member
Author Information
25+ Works 41,874 Members
Liane Moriarty was born in Sydney, Australia in November 1966. Before becoming a full-time author, she had a career in advertising and marketing. She is the author of several novels including Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist's Love Story, The Husband's Secret and Truly Madly Guilty which is New York Times show more Bestseller. She won a 2015 Davitt Award in the category of Adult Novel for Big Little Lies. Writing as L. M. Moriarty, she is the author of the Space Brigade children's books series. She made the Hollywood Reporter's 'Most Powerful Authors' 2016 list, entering at number 18. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- What Alice Forgot
- Alternate titles*
- Onvergetelijk
- Original publication date
- 2011-06-02
- People/Characters
- Alice Mary Love; Nick Love; Elisabeth "Libby"; Gina Boyle; Frannie Jeffrey; Barbara "Barb" Jones Love (show all 17); Jane Turner; Ben; Madison Love; Tom Love; Olivia Love; Roger Love; Dominick Gordon; Dr. Jeremy Hodges; Phil; Kate Harper; Xavier
- Important places
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Epigraph
- Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going. - Tennessee Williams
Marriage is an ordeal. - Joseph Campbell - Dedication
- For Adam
- First words
- She was floating, arms outspread, water lapping her body, breathing in a summery fragrance of salt and coconut.
- Quotations
- Early love is exciting and exhilarating. It's light and bubbly. Anyone can love like that. But love after three children, after separation and near divorce - after you've hurt each other and forgiven each other, bored each ot... (show all)her, after you've seen the worst and the best - well that sort of love is ineffable. It deserves its own word.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)They would think she was savoring the taste (blueberries, cinnamon, cream---excellent), but she was actually savoring the whole morning, trying to catch it, pin it down, keep it safe before all those precious moments became yet another memory.
- Blurbers
- Rice, Luanne; Ray, Jeanne; Cruise, Jennifer
- Original language*
- Engels
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 5,462
- Popularity
- 2,445
- Reviews
- 287
- Rating
- (3.89)
- Languages
- 11 — Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese (Portugal)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 71
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 24
